Realizations Of Interpersonal Meaning In The Translation Of Dramatic Dialogues

Drama constitutes an important part of world literature and the translation of drama between countries has been going on for many centuries. In drama, the essential part is the dramatic dialogue. Through dramatic dialogues, the characters establish and maintain interpersonal relationship with others. However, in the translation of dramatic dialogues, how to clearly reveal the interpersonal relationship still remains a challenging task to translators. How to fulfill this task relates to the construction of interpersonal meaning in translation.Interpersonal meaning is a concept which concerns the interpersonal relationship between speakers. The speaker makes meanings about such interpersonal dimensions as: the power and solidarity of their relationship, the extent of the intimacy, the level of their familiarity with each other, their attitudes and judgments. Though interpersonal meaning is a universal concept among languages, different languages have different linguistic devices to express interpersonal meaning. It is the same case with the Chinese language and the English language. This thesis attempts to explore how interpersonal meaning is constructed in the translating process with special reference to Thunderstorm written by Cao Yu, a playwright who enjoys great prestige in China.Thunderstorm is one of the classics of modern Chinese dramas. In this drama, the playwright creates eight vivid characters, and the interpersonal relationship between them is complex and subtle. This research is intended to explore how interpersonal meaning is reconstructed in the Thunderstorm translated by Wang Zuoliang and A.C. Barnes. It explores the construction of interpersonal meaning in the translation from two aspects, namely mood system and modality system. Through the reconstruction of interpersonal meaning in the translation of dramatic dialogues, the interpersonal relationship between characters can be clearly revealed to the target readers.